Family Matters
by MBsinger
Summary: Nick has some unexpected guests arrive from Dallas, requiring him to deal with certain family matters.


**Family Matters**

_Summary - Nick has some unexpected guests arrive from Dallas, which requires him to deal withcertain family matters._

_A/N: This is the first fan fiction story that I have ever posted. I really hope that you like it. I am very much a relationship/people writer, so there will be very little case work details here. I hope that you enjoy it. Please feel free to review, because it would be nice to know if this is any good to anyone other than myself. Constructive criticism is welcome, because it is meant to help a person get better. _

_Disclaimer: I own nothing having to do with CSI or CBS._

As Nick drove home, all he could think about was crawling into bed and getting a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. Tonight had been one heck of a night. Cases involving children were always tough on him, but he pushed through a double shift to make sure that the man they had arrested wasn't getting off for lack of evidence. He made sure that all the evidence that he had collected over the past week, was set out in a clear enough trail of evidence that a kid could follow it. It was the best way to end a work day – even the judge issuing the arrest warrant said that with the evidence they had on Mr. Kilkenny, this would be a slam dunk case.

He just wished that he could get such positive feedback from his father, as he did from the judge. For so long, he had been trying to get his father's approval, but he had finally realized that short of quitting his job and getting a law degree, he would never get that pat on the back from his father that he so desperately wanted, and that his father seemed so willing to give to his siblings. Of course except for his brother Evan, who had become a surgeon, they had all followed his parents into law. His father just couldn't see that he had too, but on his own terms. At least since he had changed careers from police officer to CSI, things had gotten marginally better, but he still always felt that he was a disappointment to his father. Heck, he got more support from the reserved Grissom than he did from his father. But he just had to remind himself, every once in a while, that he may owe his parents a lot, but his choice of careers, was not one of them.

Nick pulled into his driveway, and tried to just stop thinking, of anything, otherwise he won't be able to get to sleep right away, like his body was so desperately craving. As he entered his home, he dropped everything by the door before locking it and resetting his alarm system. He proceeded to his bedroom and crashed on the bed fully dressed, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

The clock read 5:30 am, and so he had only been asleep for about 45 minutes. Nick wondered what had woken him, until he heard the doorbell again. 'Who could that be at this hour?'

"Coming! Hold your horses, and please get your finger off the doorbell." Nick yelled to the unknown person behind the door. He reached his front door, and looked through the peek hole, and was shocked to see his nephew at the door.

He opened the door, and asked "Kyle, what are you doing here? Where is your mom?"

A sheepish grin crossed his nephew's face, which filled Nick's stomach with feelings of dread. "Uh, hi, Uncle Nick. Mom's back in Dallas, I came to visit my favorite uncle. Can I come in?"

"Yeah, sure… sorry." He said, distracted. "You just surprised me. How come your mom didn't let me know you were coming?" He led them both to the living room, after placing Kyle's bag beside his stuff by the front door.

Kyle sat down heavily on the couch, and would not meet his uncle's eyes as he replied, "Because it was a last minute thing. Sorry, I should have called ahead; I just wanted to get here."

His nephew's lack of eye contact, and his reply, gave Nick the answer that he was really looking for, and dreading. "Your mom doesn't know you're here, does she?"

"Not exactly, but I left her a note. She probably doesn't know that I'm even gone yet."

"What do you mean, bud?"

Nick was a little surprised that instead of the rest of the explanation of what 'not exactly meant, he got Kyle's mini tirade. "I'm just sick of it. Why couldn't things just stay the same? Mom and I were fine before Keith, Sandi, and Matt came along. I just thought I would get away for a while, and hang out with you like we used to. I miss that."

"I do too, Kyle, but you should not have just taken off and left, even if you did leave a note. A note is for 'I went to the library and will be back in an hour,' not 'I'm crossing a couple of state lines and I'll call you.' I know you're wrong, in that your mom is probably very worried about you right now. Did you tell her that you were coming here?"

"Yea, I think so."

A sigh escaped his lips as he regarded Kyle. 'He thinks so.' "Tell you what, you look exhausted, and I know that I am. Why don't I put you in my guest room for now, so you can get some sleep? We can talk about this later, because this conversation is far from over, and in a perfect situation, your mom would be here to participate." He got off the couch, grabbed Kyle's bag, and lead him to the guest room. "Go to sleep. We'll talk more later."

"You're not going to call mom right now, are you?"

"Yes, of course I am. It's the right thing to do, Kyle, but you just go to sleep, we'll talk more later. Your mom has probably worried herself sick already, and I want to let her know that you arrived here safely."

"Okay, I guess you're right. Thanks Uncle Nick. I hope that I didn't get you into too much trouble."

"Me too, Kyle. Get some sleep, we'll figure everything out later."

"Good-night."

"Sleep well, Kyle."

With heavy steps, Nick made his way back to his bedroom and closed the door. This was not going to be a fun phone call. He picked up the phone and dialed his sister's number.

"Hello? Kyle, is that you, honey?" Nick could hear the fear in his sister's voice, it broke his heart.

"Ashley, its Nick. Before you say anything, Kyle is here, and he's fine."

"Nick, oh thank God. How did he…Why did he…Can I talk to him?"

Nick decided to answer her questions in his own way, rather than address them separately. "It was a bit of a shock, but he showed up at my door about 15 minutes ago. I put him to bed and called you. He seemed exhausted, so I put him in the guest room, and he fell asleep before his head hit the pillow. I know that you probably really want to talk to him and find out why he did this, and at the same time you want to mother him via phone to let him sleep. If you want me to, I will wake him up for you."

"No let him sleep." Nick could hear the war of emotions through his Ashley's voice.

"I talked to him for a few moments before sending him off to bed, he seemed rather emotionally charged and I think that he is just going through an adjustment period, and is feeling left out, or something. He said something about things being better before Keith and the kids became part of the family. Before you ask any questions, that was all he was willing to tell me right now. After we both get some sleep, I'll get the whole story and then let you know what I can."

"Oh, Nicky, I was so scared. I read his note, and then I couldn't find your number, and so many scenarios went through my head."

"I know, Ash, and I'm sure that each one got worse than the one before."

"Yea, they did. How did you know?"

"I'm an investigator, Ash, I do this for a living. Listen, I'm not really ready to get heavily into this right now, to be honest, because I just got home from a double shift about an hour ago. But before you start making plans to come get him, let me have a chance to talk to him and find out what's going on in that head of his. I promise that I will keep you updated, and I will have him call you later on today."

"I'm so sorry that you got dragged into this, and I'm sorry for this huge imposition. What time do you have to be back at work?"

"Don't worry about it. I would tease you about not ever worrying about imposing on me before, but I think it's written in the job description of older sibling." He heard a small giggle from his sister, which, of course, was what he was aiming for. "However, I am too tired, and I am sure that you wouldn't appreciate it right now."

"Yea, but you got what you wanted, me to laugh and lighten up. Alright, I will wait for your call, and try to calm down."

"You figured that out, huh? I must be losing my touch. Listen, I'm going to call in to the office and take tonight off. I happen to have completed the case I was working on, and so this would be as good a night off as any, and it would give both of us time to sleep and then talk."

"Thanks, Nick. I really appreciate this. I can't believe he would do this."

"I'll work on him and try to get to the bottom of this and let you know what I find out."

"And when you do, little brother, don't you dare try to sugar coat it. Give it to me as he said it, got it?"

"Got it, straight from the hip. Take care and try not to worry."

"I'll talk to you later. I love you, little brother."

"I love you too, big sister. We'll talk later."

Nick hung up with phone, and immediately picked up the phone again to call Grissom.

"Hello?" Nick was relieved to hear that Grissom's voice sounded like he had not been asleep.

"Hey Catherine, its Nick. I am really sorry to bother you at home, but I'm calling to see if I can get the night off. I have a bit of a family crisis on my hand."

"Everything okay? I thought you didn't have any family in Vegas, do you need to go home to Dallas?"

"Not necessary at this point, the family crisis showed up on my front door step in the form of my 16 year old nephew, Kyle. He kind of ran away from home, and came to me."

"Good old Uncle Nick. Did you finish up with the Kilkenny case?"

"Yea, I did. I even waited for the warrant to be issued. Judge Martin said that with all the clear evidence we gave him, it looked like a slam dunk to him."

"Good work, Nick. Good luck with your nephew this evening. Don't worry about work, I'll offer some over time to Cahill from day shift."

"Thanks, Cath. I don't expect to need any more time, but I will let you know if I do. Hopefully, if he will be staying with me for a short while, I will have some ideas for things to keep him busy."

"You have plenty of comp time, and PTO days to take, so let me know if you need them, and I will just consider you on call."

"Thanks again. I'll either see you tomorrow, or I'll call you. Bye."

With that load off his shoulders, Nick hung up the phone and went to write Kyle a note, which he left next to his nephew's head on the pillow. It read:

_Kyle,_

_Wake me when you read this._

_Nick_

A few hours later, Nick wakes to a timid knock at his bedroom door. "Come on in, Kyle."

"Sorry to wake you again, but your note said to wake you."

"You got that right, don't worry. You've never been here before, and I didn't want you waiting for who knows how long it would take me to wake up on my own."

"Don't you have to be at work, some time?"

"No, I took the night off so that we could talk."

"Do we have to do that right now?"

'Ah yea, but why don't we soften it by doing it over a meal? How does that sound?"

"Great, I'm starving. Where are we going?"

"Well, if I remember correctly, you are one of the Mexican food fiends, so why don't we go to the little mom & pop place down the street."

"Great. I'll let you get dressed."

"How's the burrito?"

"Great!"

"Glad to hear it." He paused for a moment, before launching into his interrogation. "Why don't you tell me about the reason for this impromptu visit, Kyle? What is going on at home that chased you from Dallas to Vegas?"

"I guess I do owe you that much. Did you talk to mom yet?"

"Yes, I called her just after you went to bed. She was in hysterics when she picked up the phone, but eventually she calmed down. You scared the crap out of her Kyle."

"Is she on her way to get me?"

"Not yet. I convinced her to let you stay for a little bit. You're on summer break, right?"

"Yea. She let me stay? Thanks Uncle Nick."

"Don't thank me yet. It's not a permanent thing here Kyle, and the length of the visit is still up for negotiation. But let's talk – you start. What's going on? I thought you liked Keith and the kids."

"I do, but now they all just kind of ignore me, even mom. That is until they need a baby sitter for Sandi and Matt. And then he tries to tell me what I can and cannot do, and all that stuff. He's not my dad, you know? I just couldn't talk to either of them any more, they don't have time for me. He was so much cooler before they got married."

"Okay, let's start there. I know that Keith is not trying to replace your dad, but he truly cares about you like his own kids. Enough so that he wants to be a parent to you, and for you too feel like his son. Second item – taking care of Sandi and Matt, you should talk to your mom, Uncle Evan and Aunt Kathy, they used to call me the walking ball and chain. When I was really little, your grandparents did to them, what you say Keith and your mom are doing to you, asking for your help with the younger kids. I'm the youngest in the family, and boy did my sisters hate sitting for me, and Uncle Evan felt like I was a ball and chain since I followed him around like a lost puppy. Does this sound a bit familiar?"

"Yea, it does." He said with a shy little grin.

"Well, what I think that you need to do is to talk to your parents about this. Ask them to give you some forewarning, and talk to them about your social life. Approach the subject reasonably, and be open for discussion. On the bright side, believe it or not, having experience with little kids will help you later in life. Women love men who like kids."

"Is that why you spent so much time with me and my cousins?"

"Sort of. I was just a year older than you are now when Kathy had Jake, and so this little brother got this same talk. She was right, too." Nick laughed at the memories. "When I find the right woman and we start having kids, she will be pleasantly surprised to find out exactly how much experience I have in diaper changing and bottle preparation."

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Not at the moment."

"Why not? Mom always said that you were a little Romeo."

Nick certainly didn't want to change the subject, and definitely not to the one Kyle seemed to have chosen. "I'll just leave it at 'because' and change the subject back to the original topic. What else is up with you and Keith?"

After about an hour of talking, Nick paid the bill and ushered Kyle back to his SUV. As he started the engine, he began the next phase of the solution, as he saw it. "You feeling pretty good about what we talked about so far?"

"Yea, I guess, but I really don't want to go home now. I'm on break, and I just don't want deal with them. Can't I stay with you for the summer?"

Wow, how should he answer this one? "I don't know if that's such a good idea, Kyle."

"Oh come on, Uncle Nick, it could be fun. We could hang out like we used to, right after my dad died."

"Nothing would please me more, but I can't just take that kind of time off." Both men sat in silence for a moment, until Nick again spoke up. "Tell you what…if your mom agrees, you can stay for a while, but there will be ground rules." Kyle's only response was to nod his head in hopeful agreement. "First, everything is up to your mom, and Keith. Second, I work evening shift so we will have to find something for you to do. Maybe there is a class through the community college you can take, and then maybe do some volunteer work, or something, so that we are on the same hours."

"Oh, come on, I'm on summer vacation. I can take care of myself, and hang out at your house."

"This would be non-negotiable, Kyle. I am not letting you run around Las Vegas on your own, and you shouldn't spend so much time at my place alone. This would be a deal breaker, Kyle, so what do you say?"

"I guess I have to say okay. What if you have to work over time? Mom and your sisters say you work too much."

"Well, then you'd just come to the lab. We could probably find something to keep you occupied. When we get back to my place, we'll get on the internet and do a little research."

An hour later, they made a phone call to Ashley Stokes-Shearer. "Hello?"

"Hi, mom."

"Kyle. Are you okay? You obviously made it to your uncle's house okay."

"Yea, it wasn't too bad of a bus ride. Sorry if I made you worry."

"I accept your apology. But how can we fix this? Why did you leave, and in the middle of the night, Kyle. You scared Keith and I to death."

"Yeah, well, sorry. I just thought…I needed to get away mom."

"You sound like you're feeling a little better than you did when you wrote this note. What changed your mind?"

"Talking to Uncle Nick. He made me think of things I hadn't thought of before."

"Like what?"

"I'd rather not say, if that's okay."

"That's okay. Are you ready to come home?"

"Mom, don't take this the wrong way, but can I stay with Uncle Nick for a little while?" He said it in such a rush, hoping that it would be fast enough that she would just answer yes.

"What does your Uncle say?"

"He said that it would be completely up to you, but that if I did stay, it would mean that I would have to do something like work, or take a class. Can I stay mom?"

"Let me talk to your Uncle Nick alone for a little while first, okay?"

"Sure." He sounded a little defeated as he handed the handset to his uncle before leaving the room.

"Hey, Ash."

"Hey, Nicky. So what's the offer for Kyle?"

"Honestly Ash, I told him that it was up to you, and as always we will abide by your decision. If you say so, I will personally bring him home tomorrow. My boss has already told me to take what time I need, since I closed my last case. But I told him that if he stays, he has to take a class out at the community college and either take a job, or volunteer somewhere so we are on the same schedule. He won't be home alone, nor out in the city alone."

"What kind of class could he take at a college, Nick? He is only 16 years old."

"He can take any of the intro classes. I suggest either a science, English comp, or public speaking. Those will transfer anywhere. Don't worry, it's done all the time. I used to date a woman who works in college admissions, and she said it's the newest thing and gets the kids started on college, while they are still in HS, and the class counts for high school and college credit. As for the volunteer work, he could do something at the hospital, or I could check with Det. Brass as for the availability of putting him in the police scouts. But considering dad's opinion on a career on the police force, that might not be a good idea, after all. Maybe the hospital, follow in Evan's shoes."

"Nick, stop. Dad's problem with your choice of careers is just that… his problem. I would be proud if Kyle followed in your footsteps. You are a good man, Nicholas. Don't ever let anyone make you feel otherwise." It sometimes still amazed her that her youngest brother, who portrayed such confidence to everyone he met, really had a bit of a self confidence problem. The family jokes about all the sisters not letting him get a big head about himself, but in reality it wasn't something that they had to deal with. Nick and her father's relationship wouldn't really allow that. Nick tried to hard to get his father's approval, which he seemed to give the Stokes girls so freely, and to his sons so seldom.

"Thanks, that really means a lot to me."

"Well you really mean a lot to me, to Kyle, and to the rest of your family. After Jackson died, I don't know what I would have done if it were not for you. I was so lost, and you pulling the surrogate dad routine really helped both Kyle and I through that painful and confusing time." Nick could hear a big sigh from the other side of the phone line. "Okay, Nick, I'll let Kyle stay with you for a couple of weeks or so, or until you want or need to send him back to me. It sounds like he will be working harder there than if he were here."

"Believe it or not, that's kind of the plan. He'll think that coming home and helping you out every once in a while will be a vacation."

"Sneaky, baby brother, but I like it."

"Everyone has a skill. Feel free to come visit any time, or call during the day. I'll take good care of him, I promise."

"I know you will. Love you, Nicky. We'll talk again soon."

"Back at 'ya. Take care."

As soon as he hung up the phone, he called out to Kyle. "Come on in, Kyle. As you probably over heard, you can stay, so let's use today to get you situated."

"I was thinking about what college course to take, what do you think about taking a science course, like biology? I mean, that way when I have to come hang out at your lab, I can maybe see how this stuff that I'm learning is used in police work."

"Good idea. But I can't promise that you'd be able to do anything at the lab besides sit and study, but we'll see what we can do. Let's get over to campus and get you enrolled in class."

The next evening, Kyle came to the lab with Nick. They stopped at the front desk to get him the necessary visitor's pass, before proceeding to the break room. It was about an hour before shift was due to start, but Nick knew that Catherine would most likely already be here, and he needed to see if Kyle could hang out here for this shift. If not, he gave himself plenty of time to get Kyle back to his place and back to the lab before shift starts.

Nick dropped off Kyle at the break room, before continuing down the hall and knocking on Catherine's door. "Come in. How are things with the family crisis going?"

"Hey, Catherine. Not too bad, but that's what I needed to talk to you about. Do you have a few minutes?"

"Sure, have a seat. What can I do for you?"

"Thanks. To start, I should explain that the family crisis came in the form of my 16 year old nephew Kyle showing up on my door step. He kind of ran away from home and came to me. It has been decided that since he is on summer break, that he will be staying with me for a little while. This is where my question to you comes in. I have him signed up to take Biology, and English composition at the community college, and we'll be finding him some volunteer work to do, hopefully, but I wanted to check with you to see if it would be okay to have him come over to the lab after his night classes to study here in the lab. I really don't want him being at my place by himself, so I am trying to get him on my weird schedule. What do you think?"

"That shouldn't be a problem. College courses at 16?"

"Yea, he took the placement tests today."

"Maybe we can find something for him to do here at the lab."

"That would be great. Thanks. Then we wouldn't have to find him other volunteer work. If you want to meet him, he's in the break room right now. We stopped at the bookstore to get his books for class and he's getting a jump start on the information."

"Good thinking Nick, maybe he'll follow in his uncle's foot steps. Let's go meet this bright young man. Oh, on another matter, we got the court date on the Kilkenny case." She handed the young CSI the message from the court house. "Judge Martin, called me personally to let me know what a good job you did on this case."

"Thanks, Cath. I just followed the evidence."

The two CSIs walked in to the break room to see Kyle engrossed in a text book. "Hey Kyle, this is my boss, Ms. Willows. Catherine, this is Kyle Mattingly, my sister Ashley's oldest son."

"Good to meet you, sir." Kyle stood up to come to Catherine to shake her hand.

"Your Uncle tells me that you're going to be in Vegas for a little while, and are taking some classes at the community college."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Glad to have you here. I'm sure we can find you something to do here at the lab, maybe even something where we can put your biology class to good use."

"That would be great, ma'am, thank you."

"You may want to reserve your thank yous until you see how hard you'll be working here." Nick said to Kyle catching Catherine's eye and smiled.

"You're welcome, Kyle. And Kyle? This 'ma'am' thing has to go. I am not old enough to be a ma'am. Your uncle has tried to tell me that it is a southern thing, but I don't like it, so you can just call me Catherine since it looks like you're going to be working here."

"Thank you, ma'am, I mean Catherine."

Catherine smiled back at her co-worker. "Nick, I'll be in my office."

"Wow, Uncle Nick, is she really going to let me work here?"

"You'll learn this quickly, but I'll tell you now, in any case. Catherine rarely says anything other than exactly what he means. I see you started on the biology book. How's the first chapter? Do you have any questions?"

And that is how Warrick and Sara found them a half hour later. Sara had come in early to interview a suspect on her current case and was just waiting for the officer to arrive with the suspect. Warrick and Sara looked in the window to the break room to see what looked like Nick tutoring a young man. They walked in to the break room together and Sara spoke up first. "Hey Nick, who's your friend?"

"Hey, Rick, hi Sara. This is my nephew, Kyle. He's going to be staying with me for a while. Kyle, this is Mr. Warrick Brown and Ms. Sara Sidle."

"It's very nice to meet you." Kyle said as he stood up to shake their hands.

"It's nice to meet you too. Will you be visiting the lab often?" asked Sara.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm taking a couple of classes at the community college and Ms. Willows said that she was going to try to find me some work here, to put my biology class to good use."

"That's great. That will also give you more time to spend with your uncle."

"Yes, ma'am. He's worked out a schedule that will keep me pretty busy while I'm here, but I'm looking forward to it."

Sara took that moment to speak up. "Okay, either this Texas charm thing is more than a myth, or Nick here conspired with Kyle to act this way to show that he's not just kissing up."

"Hey, now!" Nick said to begin to defend himself, but his nephew jumped in to his defense.

"I don't really know what you mean by Texas Charm, or what way you say I'm acting, but Granddad Mattingly calls it the Stokes family charm school. We are taught from an early age that showing respect is not an option. Nanna Stokes says that Uncle Nick had the most thorough education in this way, since my mom and all my aunts used to gang up on him to make sure he treated a woman right. My mom always said that Uncle Evan was a lost cause, so they made sure that Uncle Nick was taught correctly."

"You don't look like you're kidding." Sara said as she looked at Nick, who had a small grin on his face.

"No, ma'am, I'm not." Kyle just looked so earnest when he made this reply that Sara just gave Nick a look of sympathy.

Sara decided to address this southern thing. "Well, Kyle, please don't call me ma'am, or Ms. Sidle. If you start saying Ms. Sidle, I'll just be looking for someone behind me. Call me Sara."

"Thanks, that's really nice of you."

Warrick spoke up and directed his question to Nick as a little challenge. "So…Nick. Why didn't you tell us you had family coming? Did you originally plan on protecting him from us?"

Nick caught the laughter that his co-worker was trying to suppress, and answered him. "Well, I could have made you my first call at 7am when he arrived without warning the other morning. I guess I'll keep that in mind if any of the others get an idea like Kyle did and drop in."

Warrick raised his eyebrow and grinned, but said nothing as he watched Kyle's reaction to his uncle's comment. The teen's face went red, and he said aloud "Point taken, Uncle Nick. Can we get over that now?"

Catherine watched from the doorway with a knowing smile as Nick gave his nephew a big grin and messed up his hair with his right hand. This was a side of Nick that most of his co-workers did not get to see. This really was how he treated her daughter, Lindsay. It was nice to see this confirmation of how close her "family" really was.

"So Nick, you've told us you have a big family, six siblings, right?" At his nod of confirmation Sara continued. "How many nephews and nieces do you have with six siblings."

"Eighteen, at last count. And that includes Kyle's step-siblings. Those little rug-rats just fit right in with the rest of them anyway."

"Eighteen? What's the age range?" Warrick asked.

"Correct me if I am wrong, Kyle, since you hang out with them more than I do these days. But I believe that my youngest sister Jocelyn's youngest, Bryce, is 2 years old, and my oldest sister Natalie's oldest is Hannah, who is 18 and a freshman at my alma matter, Rice University."

"Is Hannah's choice of colleges as big a deal as you're making it sound?" Asked Sara.

Kyle laughed and answered, "Oh yea! Uncle Carson was a little disappointed that she followed in Uncle Nick's foot steps rather than following in either his or Aunt Natalie's. My cousin Tyler is next and is also thinking of Rice, but in addition is looking at Baylor and Texas A&M. Uncle Carson went to A&M, and is trying to get Tyler to go there. Ty has of course caught on to this and takes great pleasure, with Aunt Sharon's full support, to lead him to thinking that he's really pushing for either Rice or going to the east coast to Georgetown University. Uncle Carson is kind of an easy target for teasing."

"Georgetown is a great school, what's wrong with wanting to go there."

"Carson is big on football, and Georgetown is not." Nick said with a grin.

The four of them looked up to see Catherine standing in the doorway. "Warrick, Sara, I see you've met our newest intern. As you may have already heard, he's going to be spending some time with us, around his classes of course, so we will be putting him to work. Kyle, since we haven't figured out what to have you do here at the lab, why don't you just study for your class? Oh, you've already started. Mia is our DNA person, so if you have any questions, just go on down to her lab, if your uncle is out in the field."

"Thanks, Ms. Willows."

"It's Catherine, remember? Now, with that settled, here are everyone's assignments…"

"Wow, you look wiped out, Uncle Nick."

"Yea, I'm just a little tired." He said followed by a tired sigh. "How was your first night at the lab?"

"Cool. Greg has some weird taste in music, though. I've never heard of some of the bands he was playing, but he's a pretty cool guy. He helped me by telling me an easier way to remember facts for biology. Tonight I'll bring some of my CD's, I figure that since he is helping me with bio, maybe I can teach him about some decent music."

"That I would love to see. If you could get him to play it at a decent noise level, I would be forever grateful."

"What's wrong with the sound level?" Kyle asked with a straight face.

"Never mind." Nick replied, just shaking his head.

Three weeks later, as the two guys entered the house, Nick pushed a button on his answering machine, and groaned as the first message continued to play. Kyle wasn't close enough to hear who it was, or what it was about, but he could ask his uncle about it in a moment, after dropping off his stuff in his room. As he walked in to the kitchen to grab a snack, he asked what his uncle had groaned about.

"That was your mom and then mine, giving us fair warning that your grandfather is coming for a visit."

"Why didn't he call?"

"Evidently we are in for a surprise inspection. He will be arriving the day after tomorrow, in the morning. I have to be in court that morning, so you may need to stay here to greet him, or answer his call if he needs directions."

"Why would he need directions, how long has it been since he's been here to visit you?"

"This would be the first time. And we will leave the rest of that conversation for another day. Got it?"

"Got it. But just so you know, I know all about Granddad, and how he treats you. Mom and Aunt Kathy talk about it a lot."

"Good, well not really, but that does save us from having to talk about it at all. Why don't you just drop me off at the courthouse that morning, and then you can come back here to wait for him. Most likely, since I have to be in court, and unless there is a big case, I will be let go early. Do you have anything that you need to do late in the shift?"

"Nah, Greg mentioned something about that yesterday, and said that if I wanted to I could come back later and do it."

"That's good. What do you want to eat?"

An hour later, the phone rang. It was Ashley. "Hey Ashley, do you want to talk to Kyle?"

"Duh, but not just yet. Did you get my message from earlier?"

"Yea, and mom's, too. Thanks for the head's up. I have to be in court that morning, so I was going to leave Kyle here to wait for him and give him my car for the day. Hope that's okay. He's already pretty familiar with the layout of the city, at least from here to the air port."

"Yea, that's fine. Kyle's a good driver. And I trust your judgment, but thanks for asking."

"What can I do for you, Ashley?"

"I just wanted to let you know that if dad pulls his normal condescending non-sense, it's not coming from me. Dad gave me a look when I told him that Kyle would be staying with you for a few more weeks. I don't think that he thinks of you as that grown up yet, ready to take care of a teenager."

"That's a nice way of putting it. I think he'll only see that if I pass the bar, and practice law. Don't worry about me, he'll be on good behavior with Kyle here. He can't expect me to drop everything with a surprise visit, so most of the time Kyle will have to baby-sit his grandfather." He couldn't help smiling at that picture in his head.

"Can I talk to my son now?"

"Sure. Kyle, your mom is ready for your interrogation now."

Kyle was still laughing when he took the phone and said hello to his mom. He was relieved to hear her laughing as well.

"Sometimes I wonder when my little brother is going to grow up. How are you, Kyle? I hear that you're working at the lab with Nick with some regularity."

"Yea, its really cool working there. It gives me a whole other way to look at everything that I am learning in my biology class. Everyone there really steps in to make the information real to me, which makes it so much more interesting. It kind of makes some of my classmates irritated since I have the highest grade average in the class so far. Imagine me with the highest grades, and in a college class. That reminds me, you may want to contact my guidance counselor at school to change my schedule, since I had scheduled to take bio this upcoming school year. Maybe I can get HS credit for this class and take something else, like chemistry, or something."

Nick left the room to give Kyle a chance to talk to his mother. He left a note for Kyle to let him know he was going grocery shopping in preparation for the inspection."

"Oh, and I've gotten to meet some of the DAs, the sheriff and a couple of Judges. It's really cool."

"Kyle, is your uncle still in the room with you?"

"No, he just left. Why?"

"Well I think that you are mature enough to hear this and help me out. I want you to do me a big favor."

On the way to the air port he once again ran through his conversation with his mom. She was treating him different, almost like an adult, if her favor was anything to judge. His job today was to show his grandfather that his uncle was taking very good care of him and show him what important work Nick was doing at the crime lab. It was hard to imagine that his grandfather thought that Uncle Nick wasn't living up to his potential. Nick was doing great work, and had garnered great respect of his peers and others. He pulled up to the arriving passengers area of the airport, and spotted his grandfather right away. Let the games begin. Kyle had the day planned out.

He pulled to the curb, put on the hazard lights and got out of the SUV to put his grandfather's luggage in to the back of the vehicle. "Hey, Granddad. How was the flight?"

"Uneventful, which is a good thing. So you are my chauffer this morning?"

"Yes, sir. Uncle Nick had to be in court this morning, so he gave me use of his SUV. Don't worry, she said it was okay."

"How well do you know the area?"

"Well enough, and Uncle Nick gave me directions, and a map in case I get lost." He closed the back hatch, and indicated for his grandfather to get in the SUV. "Do you have any plans right now?"

"No, what do you have in mind, young man?"

"Well since Uncle Nick had to be in court today on an important case, I thought that I could show you what I've been up to, and run a quick errand, if that's okay?"

"That would be fine. Where are we going first?"

Kyle first took him to the hotel to drop off his bags, and then ran an errand over to the college campus. "Hope you don't mind, but my bio professor gave me a project, and Greg, from the lab, gave me an awesome idea on how to modify the project. I just want to run it past Professor Bussard to get his okay."

"You like this class? Do you feel that you are ready for it?"

"Ready? You bet. I like biology, and I have one of the highest grades in the class. It's my English class that I could do without. But Uncle Nick just laughs at me and tells me that I will probably change my mind once I finish the class, and when I find my papers for high school getting better grades than ever. I think I have a solid B in that class."

"Are you taking English composition, then?"

"Yes, sir, but I like the biology class so much better. I talked to mom, and she's going to see if my guidance counselor will let me use this class for high school credit, so that I can open up time in my schedule this year for another class."

"Good for you, Kyle. I am happy to see you taking the initiative to do this."

"Well, to be honest, sir, it wasn't my idea, it was Uncle Nick's. Taking these classes was one of his conditions for staying with him this summer." Kyle hoped that he wasn't going to be laying it on too thick, but it was the truth anyway. "Any way, after that pit stop I thought maybe we could sneak in to the courthouse and see Uncle Nick testify. Judge Martin told me which court they would be in, and how to sneak in so Uncle Nick wouldn't see us."

"Why wouldn't you want to let your Uncle Nick know we're there?"

"He knows the case cold, but I don't want to throw him off. Besides, I've heard that this case was not a pretty picture, and I think that he just wanted me to show you the sights first. But I really want to see Uncle Nick in action. You don't mind, do you?"

"You're the tour guide."

"Thanks, granddad. This should be great. I've been to the court room to watch mom in action a few times, but this will be cool seeing it from this angle. Has mom told you that I've been working at the lab that Uncle Nick works at?"

"Yes, your mother mentioned that to me. Do you help your uncle with his cases?"

"Sometimes. Ms. Willows, Uncle Nick's supervisor, and Dr. Grissom, that's the night shift supervisor, kind of created this internship type position for me. I don't get paid, but they let me help out in the labs, run some errands for the CSI's like Uncle Nick, Catherine, Warrick, and the rest of the team. Whenever anyone has time, they find me to help me understand my biology stuff and make it come to life. They won't let me watch an autopsy yet, but I think I can convince Dr. Robbins to let me before I go home. He has let me see the cadavers after the fact, which was cool."

"Cool, huh? Do you think you might want to be a doctor, like your Uncle Evan?"

"Maybe. I'm keeping my options open, for now. I'm thinking that a CSI like Uncle Nick, and Dr. Grissom would be really cool. I mean they put science to work every day to catch the bad guys. It's really cool to see how they put all the forensics stuff together. They've let me sit in on some of those case reviews, at least of the ones that aren't so gruesome. I haven't been able to help with many cases with Uncle Nick, because he has been on a few of those gruesome cases lately, since his specialty is blood and fiber analysis. He's getting really good with the new technology that they have here. They have programs that can help recreate how a victim died by using blood spatter analysis. Or they can…I'm not boring you or grossing you out, am I Granddad?"

"Not at all, Kyle. Its nice to see you get so excited about learning things."

"Thanks. Uncle Nick thinks that if I keep up this pace, and work hard this year and next, I will be able to earn my way to any college I want to go to. Mom says that when I get home, she's going to set up a meeting with my guidance counselor and maybe the principle to see if I can continue taking some college courses and have them count for high school credit. Uncle Nick also says that if I keep up this level of intensity with my studies, I could find myself on the dean's list at school, and possibly earn some scholarships for college."

"What do you do for fun around here, Kyle?"

"We've gone to a few museums here. We go hiking, or canoeing, or riding every week, and Uncle Nick has introduced me to some of the kids in his neighborhood who I hang out with sometimes, too. My soccer coach at school will be pleasantly surprised to find me in better shape than when I left, since I work out with Uncle Nick every day, and we play in at least one pickup game every weekend."

"Good, glad to hear that you're having fun here too."

"Yea, Uncle Nick has a friend in the admissions office at UNLV, and he took me to see her a week or so ago. She gave me some really good advice on what I can do to get into the college of my choice, and even what I can do now to help me chose a career. I think mom is going to be shocked when I get home. I tell her about all this stuff, but it's going to be fun to show her what the career counselor told me. They gave me a couple of options that I might want to think about. Oh, look, we're here."

As Kyle and his grandfather walked in tot the courthouse, Kyle noticed his grandfather taking everything in. I guess he's comparing it to his courthouse. Kyle heard his name being called from somewhere to his left. He turned to see Judge Martin approaching him. "Kyle, how are you today?"

"I'm fine, sir, how are you? Any exciting cases this week?"

"A few. I hope that they won't be as grueling as I expect them to be. I just wish that the Kilkenny case was in my court, but since I issued the warrant, I can't preside over the case. Who do you have with you today, Kyle?"

"Oh, sorry sir, this is my grandfather, Bill Stokes. He's a judge in our home state of Texas. Grandfather, this is Judge Martin."

The two men shook hands. "The Kilkenny case. I heard about that on the news. That should be a tough case to hear, not only about the subject matter, but those can be hard to prove and get the jury to follow the evidence."

"Not with your son on the case. With cases like this, Nick makes sure that all the dots connect, if it's possible. He has a way of making sure anyone can follow the evidence trail. He seems to have a good understanding of the human condition. It's a good feeling when you get one of these cases, that you've got an excellent chance to put these sick people behind bars. That son of yours is a good investigator. He and his team are one of the best in the country. And its cases like these that you see why. I mean, I was the judge that issued the warrants on this case, and if it's anything but a slam dunk, I will be surprised." After receiving only a nod from Bill, Judge Martin turns back to Kyle. "So what are you up to right now?"

"I was hoping that we could sneak in to see Uncle Nick testify, you know, see him in action."

Judge Martin looked at Bill Stokes when he answered Kyle. "I don't know if your Uncle would like that. It's the Kilkenny case that he's testifying for, and I am sure that neither he, nor your Grandfather, would like you to hear the details of this case."

"Were they really that bad? I mean I've seen horror flicks that are worse."

"Reality can be worse than what filmmakers put on film. But that, of course, would be up to your grandfather, not me."

Kyle looked up to his Grandfather, and saw the answer in his facial expression before he even had to ask. "I guess I'll just have to see him testify another day. I think that Wittendon case goes to trial before I go home."

"That, young man would be a better choice. Should be more entertaining too. I told your Uncle to submit that case to the local newspaper for the 'crooks are stupid' segment. Don't be in a hurry to grow up, son, the adult world will intrude soon enough."

"Yes, sir. See you later Judge Martin."

"Goodbye, Kyle. It was nice to meet you Bill."

"Yes, it was my pleasure. It's nice to hear that my son is doing well in his chosen profession."

"That he is. You must be very proud of him. Give that son of yours at least one more year at the Las Vegas lab, and if he chose to, he could get hired at any lab in the country. Heck, they'd fight for him if they knew he was looking." With that said, Judge Martin made his way down the hallway.

"Well, Granddad, since we can't go into the court room, how about I show you around the lab?"

"That would be fine."

"We can probably wait for Uncle Nick there, too. He shouldn't be too long. Want some lunch first?"

"An excellent idea. Your choice."

When Nick arrived at the lab, he was surprised to hear that both Kyle and his father were here. He decided to find them, to let him know that he was back, and then take them home, so that he could get some sleep before his next shift. He walked down the hallways of the lab and found them in the DNA lab with someone from the day shift supervising. He walked in to the lab and nodded at Jason, as he addressed his family. "Hi, Dad. Hey Kyle. Sherrie told me that you were here, so I thought I'd just let you know that I am back from court. I want to just write up at least part of my report while it is fresh in my mind. What are your plans for this afternoon?" He looked to his father, but it was Kyle that answered.

"How about we give you a ride home? Granddad is already settled at the hotel, so we can show him your place, and then I can show him some of the sites while you sleep. That is if you want to, Granddad. Because if you wanted to visit the lab with us tonight, you may want to take a nap."

"That is actually an excellent idea."

"Well then why don't I come back here when I'm ready? Hey Kyle, are you supposed to be using that without Greg's supervision? You know how he gets about his gear in here."

"Yea, Greg showed me how to use it, and Dr. Grissom said that it would be alright to use it for my class project as long as no one else needed it. Case files come before class files. Besides, Jason is here."

Nick looked over at his father, who was smiling at his grandson's excitement. His father looked up and gave Nick a nod before turning his attention back to Kyle. Nick too watched Kyle for a moment, and he suddenly had a sneaking suspicion that Kyle and Ashley were up to something. But he was used to his sisters trying to meddle in his life, they always felt free to do so, for some reason, whether it was wanted or not. However, Nick was not going to interfere with the current plan, because it seemed to be working in his favor, so he planned to stay out of it and put on the innocent act. He spoke up to let his family know that he needed to do some stuff. "I've got to file my report on the court case and stuff, so I'll look for you either here, or in the break room. Alright?"

"Great. Make that the break room, I'm almost done here."

"Sure, Kyle. Are you alright here, Dad? If you need some coffee or anything, Kyle can show you where to get some in the break room."

"I'll be fine. Kyle has been taking good care of me so far today. You finish up with your work, we'll be fine."

Nick just nodded in response to his father and left to change into more comfortable clothes before finishing up his report.

Kyle took his grandfather down to the break room. As they were sitting at the table talking over coffee and soda, a number of people walked in to the break room and addressed different questions to Kyle.

Bill was sitting in the corner slightly amused to watch his grandson interact with the others working in the lab. He really started to take notice of how much he and his uncle Nick had in common in regards to personality and temperament. He began to really watch the people he encountered while waiting for his youngest child to be finished with his work. While Kyle sat at the table studying, Bill sat on the couch across the room reading the news paper.

Two young women in lab coats walked in and addressed Kyle. "Hey Kyle, how are you today?"

"Fine, thank you, and you?"

"Fine, thank you. Are you here early to work on your biology project?"

"No, ma'am, just waiting for my uncle. He is writing up his final notes on the Killkenny case. He had to testify this morning, and he let me have the car."

The two young ladies sat down at the table with their cups of coffee.

"I heard. A friend of mine at the courthouse said that after Nick's rock solid testimony, the jury didn't feel like they had to deliberate much. The case was a slam dunk, and the defense attorney even has experience with cases involving forensics. Let me give you some free advice, Kyle, if you put in even half as much effort into your work as your uncle does, you will do well in whatever career you choose."

Her friend spoke up for the first time joining the conversation to add, "And if you grow up looking and acting like your uncle, that wouldn't hurt either. Now don't tell Nick I said that, either of you, I would be so embarrassed. But I have to say that Nick is well liked and respected around here, and it has nothing to do with his looks. He shows respect to each and every person he meets, and he doesn't let ego get in the way of learning something new, he just sucks it up like a sponge. Plus he is one of the few science geeks around here that has the cops' respect as a peer. It's hard not to admire someone like him. He always seems to have everything going his way, but never lets it go to his head. I know it's not always true, because nobody's perfect. And he almost never lets things interfere with work, not any of the crap that he's had to deal with, like the Crane case, and he's almost always enthusiastic about the work he does here."

"Yea, Greg still feels slightly guilty about how with the new budget, his new equipment cost Nick his promotion."

"I forgot about that. From what I understand, Greg didn't even find that out from Nick, but from the fiscal meeting weeks later."

"Well the swing shift is so short handed that they should have room for that soon, I hope they just give him what he's due rather than making him go through those hoops again. Why put the guy through the application process again."

"I totally agree with that. How often do you see the good guy win? I mean if the world worked right, both Ecklie and Hodges would not be where they are." Their conversation got interrupted by Nick as he entered the room.

"Hello Ladies."

"Hey Nick."

"Hi Nick."

"So what are you all talking about?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Hey, either you can tell me, or I can get it out of Kyle later." He said as he stood behind the young man and put his hands on the boy's shoulders.

Both ladies gave slightly nervous giggles, and so Kyle decided to join in the fun, and give his uncle a bit of a hard time, too. "Actually they were recommending that I should grow up like you Uncle Nick. I didn't know you were such the pinup boy around here. And someone said something about a calendar?" He watched as all three turned a different shade of pink, and heard a short laugh from his grandfather behind him, which was drowned out by the women's laughter when they noticed how uncomfortable Nick seemed to be.

"Kyle, it isn't nice to embarrass a lady like that, and I'll get you later for doing it to me." He said as he messed with his nephew's hair. "Don't listen to that anyway. It's all about the accent, Kyle, a lot of people will overlook a lot if you've got the cool southern accent thing." Nick continued walking around the room to get himself a cup of coffee.

"Tell me, Kyle, is your uncle really this humble, or is this just an act?"

"Well, Ms. Kelly, look at the color of his face and that should give you your answer." He said as he avoided another swipe from his uncle. "It's the real thing. Don't forget that he has 5 older sisters to keep him humble, and believe me, my mom and my aunts still won't let him get away with anything."

"Five sisters? All older? Wow, that explains a lot."

"What does that explain?" Nick asked as he sat down with his cup of coffee, putting a bottle of juice in front of Kyle. Bill was enjoying this interaction.

"Well I'm the oldest of four, and have only one brother. The poor boy is in the middle. Siblings never let you get away with anything, but it worked to Kyp's advantage I guess. When we met his wife for the first time after they got engaged she turned to me and my mom and thanked us for training him so well."

"Huh?" Kyle didn't understand that exactly.

"Let me guess, Kelly, she cooked him dinner and he helped her with the dishes without making a big deal out of it, or without being asked."

"Got it in one. You ever do that, Nick?"

"Sure. The lady would be the date, not the waitress. I sometimes even do the cooking, you know."

"Oh, really?"

"Are you kidding? My mom was not going to let any of her seven kids out of the house without teaching them how to be self sufficient. We each helped out in the kitchen. I think it also helped make sure that we each got a little one on one time with her."

Bill smiled at that comment, he didn't think that his wife thought that the kids ever caught on to that. It's nice to know that even though they let her keep believing that she had fooled them, that it was appreciated none the less.

"Wow, if I weren't married…" Said Kelly.

"Yea, well you are so it's a moot point, isn't it." Challenged Patti.

"Why aren't you married yet?" Asked Kelly.

"I haven't found the right one yet. Now are we done playing pick on the Texan, or should I run away screaming now? And don't you have work to do?"

The two ladies giggled at that. "Yes Nick. See you later, Kyle. Keep in mind what we said earlier."

Once the two women left, Nick turned to Kyle and asked "Do I want to know what you all were really talking about?"

"Actually, you got the gist, it's the details you missed. And no, you probably don't want to know. Are you almost ready to go?"

"Yea, report's filed. I just want to grab my trace results from last night before we go. Mia said that she'd flirt with Hodges, if she had to, to get him to get it done before he left. Are you ready to go? Where's your grandfather?"

"Right here, Nick." Bill put the paper down and stood up.

"Sorry, sir, didn't think that was you for some reason. That's Ben Mason's favorite thing to do at about this time of day, sit there where you were, read the paper and ignore the world. In fact, come this way, here comes Mason now. Watch this." Nick grinned at his father and nephew as they watched 'Mason' walk into the break room, grab the news paper, and sit just where Bill Stokes had been sitting moments before, and put up the paper in front of him as if it were a barrier to hold out anything that might try to intrude on his solitude. The three Stokes men just laughed as they exited the break room.

Kyle was sitting in the living room playing a game, when he heard signs of life coming from his uncle's room indicating that he was getting up for work. He had the night off, since he was only a volunteer/intern, it wasn't too hard to get time off. So far the plan that he had worked out with his mom seemed to be going pretty well, despite not being able to see Nick testify. However, the sincere praise from Judge Martin, kind of made that a moot point. One of his grandfather's peers thought that Nick Stokes was one fine investigator and doing important work. The only real question in his mind was did either his grandfather or uncle catch on to the plan? He didn't think that his grandfather had yet, and so he had decided to try to be less heavy handed about it from now on, just to be on the safe side. But he was pretty sure that if his uncle hadn't yet caught on, he at least had his suspicions. Kyle just hoped that his uncle didn't bring it up and spoil everything.

"Hey Kyle, when did you get up?"

"Oh, I just took a short nap, rather than going in to sleep mode, that way I could be on the same time schedule as granddad. It's easier for me to switch like this than it would be for you older folks." He said with a grin, knowing his uncle would accept the comment for the ribbing it was.

"Watch it little man, I may be twice your age, but I can still take you on. What are your plans this evening?"

"Oh, I thought that I would show him around some of the more touristy places, like walking around the strip, going on the roller coaster at New York, New York, and maybe trying to talk him into taking me to dinner at the Excalibur for that Jousting show."

"Sounds good. Just don't try to fit that all in tonight, remember that he just got here."

"Can we have the car? We can drive you to work. I'd really like to introduce grandfather to everyone anyway."

Nick knew by how Kyle said that all in practically one breath, that it would be best to comply. He could get a ride home from someone later. "Yea, sure. You may want to leave it at the lab, and then cab to where you want to go, and come back for it later. The cab fare is less from here, and parking here is free for us."

"Good idea."

Nick parked his SUV in his assigned spot and the three men got out of the vehicle. As they were signing in the Senior Stokes for a visitors pass, Catherine called out to Nick.

"Nick, I'm glad you're here early. We have a case that got passed on to us, the sheriff is already all over it, and knows that I have you assigned to the case."

"Sure, Cat. Do I need to leave now, or do I have a little bit of time?"

"You can have a few minutes."

"Thanks." He said with a smile. "Catherine Willows I'd like for you to meet my father, Bill Stokes. Dad, this is Ms. Catherine Willows, the swing shift supervisor, and a working mother of one. One of the best CSI's in the country."

"You have the job, Nick, you can stop brown nosing. It's very nice to meet you Bill. Nick didn't tell us that he had any more family coming in."

"He didn't know. Call it a surprise inspection."

"Ah, I see. Well I would try to give him some time off tonight to spend time with you, but I really need him on this case."

"I understand. I didn't expect Nick to drop everything when I arrived. What's the case, if I may ask?"

"Well, all I can say is that it looks to be one which needs Nick's special talents. Nick, why don't you go check yourself in, I'll keep your Dad occupied for a little while."

"That's what I'm afraid of. I'd ask Kyle to watch my back, but I know that wouldn't get me anywhere." Catherine swatted his shoulder as he left to go to the locker room.

"Well this would be a good time to give Nicky here some props, while embarrassing him to his family. Let's go in my office." They entered the well ordered room and took seats around her desk. "Let me explain something first, I consider my staff good friends. Both Nick and I used to work for Gil Grissom, who is a very talented CSI and brilliant man when it comes to forensics. He is not, however, what you would call a people person. He also tends to evidence and nothing but the evidence. Nick is not only a people person, who generally handles working with victims and their families well, but also has learned how to look at the physical evidence as well as the human element while sometimes working with the political climate of a case. There have been several cases in the past where a detective with a hunch passed over Gil to ask Nick for help."

"Do you think that his past with the Dallas PD helped with that?"

"You mean on a cop to cop basis? Yes and No. No, because Nick doesn't really talk about that part of his life. No one around here, besides me, really knows all that much about his family or his past work history. But that part of his life does come through in how he approaches a scene and interacts with the officers. Your son also just gives off a first impression that you can trust him, which works well when interviewing victims and witnesses. Personally, I also put him on this case because he would handle the press well."

"Yes, he has always been good at that."

"In this job you have to use the right tools, and CSIs, for the right cases. Nick is the right person for this case. Kyle, could you do me a favor and ask your uncle to see if he can grab the officer notes on this case from Brass?"

"Sure. I'll be right back, Granddad."

When the quiet lasted a little past when Kyle had exited the room, Bill spoke up and addressed Catherine, "Well both my grandson and son are no longer in the room with us, what did you want to address, Ms. Willows?"

"Well, I'll get right to the point. I hope that you don't take this the wrong way, because I am aware of how people often say that I am subtle like a Mack truck. Normally I would not stick my nose where it does not belong, but I do feel that I have to say this. I can't afford to have you messing with his head this week, and by that I mean making him second guess his abilities and his choice of careers. I am quite aware of what your purpose for this surprise visit might entail, even if Nick is not, which I am sure that he at least has an idea. You're here checking to see how well your bachelor son is taking care of your teenage grandson. I think that he is doing extremely well. I will tell you that I know more about your son than most people do around here, and that is because he is like a little brother to me, Bill, and he is one of my daughter Lindsey's favorite Uncles. Let's switch to the readers digest version of this lecture and just say that your son is one of the top investigators of the number two lab in the country. He was not moved from Grissom's team for any other reason than when I got the promotion to supervisor I needed good experienced CSI's on my team, and Ecklie wanted to punish Gil Grissom for not playing by _his_ rules. If Nick wanted to move on to another lab, anywhere in the country, he would not only get excellent references from most anyone here, but he could almost have his pick. Heck, he's one of the few people that Ecklie didn't train or hand pick, that he likes, and that includes me. Your relationship with your son is just that, yours, and I don't mean to tell you what kind of relationship to have with your son. I only ask that you please understand that he is important to this lab and I need him focused 100 on this case."

"Ms. Willows, I do thank you for your candor, and to be honest, I don't usually get this from anyone outside my immediate family. Let me start by saying that you are correct on your assumption as to the purpose of my visit here, I did come to check up on my son and grandson. I will not get into the background, as that is between myself and Nick. But I will tell you that you have many allies, including my wife, all six of Nick's siblings, and probably most of their spouses. I even suspect that my daughter Ashley, Kyle's mother, is in cahoots with her son to point out Nick's achievements, considering most of my time here so far has been learning what Kyle has been doing while here and that Nick has been the benefactor pushing him to do it. I don't know if Nick is aware of it, but I am, and I think that he suspects it as well, but doesn't want to really know to what lengths his sisters will go to interfere in his life. I have learned a lot about my youngest child on this trip, and have wondered how I could have missed so much when everyone else has picked up on it."

Catherine took advantage of the slight pause to say, "It's probably because he is not only your child, but your youngest child. I only have one, but it is hard to let go of the young child they once were."

"Yes, it is. I think that I was able to let go of the others so much more easily because there was still Nicky. He is so much younger than the others. And I appreciate knowing that he has an adoptive family here, his mother will appreciate knowing that. Well, I am sure that one, if not both, of the boys will be back soon, so let me assure you that he will be here 100."

"So what has Kyle been up to to give you the impression that Ashley is up to something?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if my wife were in on the planning stages as well. He has shown me where he goes to school and have even met his professor. Then he took me to the courthouse, where he introduced me to Judge Martin. And then he brought me here to see the lab, and the project he is working on for class. In the meantime, he has kept up a steady stream of commentary of how well his uncle is taking care of him. He's making him take classes, his job here to make sure they're on the same time schedule, the social and learning experiences that Nick has made sure he took advantage of…"

"In other words, he's laying it on a little thick."

"Yes, but his mother and grandmother are the masters, he will get better with age, I have no doubt." Both parents couldn't help but laugh.

And that is when the two younger Stokes men returned to the room. Kyle turned to Nick outside the door and asked his uncle. "What do you think they're talking and laughing about?"

"My guess? Maybe Catherine pulled the big sister act and they are laughing about how much I don't really need another sister in my life. Or maybe the heavy handed way you have been working your mother's plan to show your Grandfather how well you are doing here, and that your uncle is not a complete screw up. But who really knows."

Kyle gave his uncle a sheepish grin. "You knew about that, huh?"

He looked his nephew in the eye, and Kyle could see that he thought the situation was at least a little humorous. "I know nothing, and it's going to stay that way, even in regards to your mother. Got it? It is in my best interest right now to know nothing about any of it. However, before I have a complete memory lapse of the situation, let me say that if you plan on continuing with this, don't be so heavy handed. Have you learned nothing from your mother? I love her to death but what a manipulator she can be. I would thank you for your efforts, but since I know nothing about it, I won't. I cannot make you stop doing what I have no idea you're doing, but my dad's and my relationship has been like this for a long time, and I doubt that whatever you do this week will have much impact on that. But you are welcome to try, who knows you just may be successful this time where your aunts failed in the past. Now are you ready to go in?"

"Yea. You know something? You're smarter than you look." Kyle said with a huge grin on his face. He was learning a lot _from_ his uncle, and _about_ him. The phrase 'ignorance can be bliss' came to mind.

"Very funny, little man. Get in there." He rolled his eyes, and pushed Kyle into the room.

"Ready to go, Granddad?"

"Of course. It was a pleasure to meet you, Catherine." He stood up and shook hands with the confident woman who was looking out for his son.

"Likewise."

"See you tomorrow, Dad. Kyle, if you stay at home tonight, do me a favor and call me when you get there."

"Why?"

"#3" At that, Kyle just rolled his eyes, and shook his head with the hint of a smile on his face.

Catherine voiced the question that came to both hers and Bill's minds. "What is '#3'?"

Kyle smiled and answered, "Short hand for 'because I said so, or because I asked you to.' I sure hope that you don't teach mom this short hand answer stuff, because if _you_ don't accept something similar to stand in for 'but why?' neither will she."

"#7" Kyle tried hard not to laugh, and to put a look of teenage angst on his face. He didn't succeed.

Catherine grinned and said to Nick, "Let me guess, number 7 is something to the effect of 'when you get to be the adult then you can make the rules.'"

"Yup."

"Oh, Lindsey is _so_ going to hate you for teaching me that."

"Nah, not really, Kyle complains a little for show, but it also cuts down on the lecture time."

All three adults had to laugh at that. Kyle just rolled his eyes again and told his grandfather that he would meet him at the car. Bill on the other hand was again pleasantly surprised by the situation, as he watched his grandson walk down the hall towards the exit. "For another thing, I'm just the uncle, so he takes it from me a little better than he would from a parent."

Nick turned to his father and asked "Dad, could you entertain Kyle tomorrow? I'd be surprised if tonight doesn't turn out to be a double shift."

"Sure, I'd be happy to hang out with my grandson. Let us know if it does turn in to a double, and we will stop by at a time you specify, and bring food. Sound good?"

"Sounds great. See you later, Dad."

"Have a good night, Nick. Catherine, again, it was a pleasure. And thank you for looking out for my son." With that he walked down the hall to meet Kyle at the car.

Catherine and Nick went and sat down in her office. She turned to him, and after watching his body language for a few moments she asked, "So, do you want to know what we talked about?"

"I'll tell you what I told Kyle. It is in my best interest to not know, but I think I have an idea."

"So you do know what Kyle's been up to."

"Not specifically, but I've got the big picture complete with a general outline. I appreciate what you tried to do, and we will have to see if anything will have an impact. With that said, however, generally speaking, a few choice words tend not to have too great an impact on a situation that has not changed in years. I am the youngest of seven children, and the one who bucked the system and did not choose a career as either a lawyer or doctor. Take that, and the fact that I am also the only one who is not only still single but has moved out of state, and you see that my father tends to feel that I have not grown up yet to accept responsibility enough to choose a proper career. He thinks I am being stubborn and just sticking to my guns."

"Would it help to know that today may have had more of an impact than you think?"

"How so?"

"I thought you didn't want to know."

And now it was Nick's turn to roll his eyes. "Come on. Cat."

She smiles at his response. "Evidently it wasn't just Kyle and I. As an example, from what I've heard, they ran into Judge Martin at the courthouse who acted as proud of you as he would if you were his own son."

"Okay, then lets just say that I am hopeful, but I won't hold my breath. So, on other matters, what's up with the new case?"

Many hours later Nick called Kyle at the house. "Hey Kyle, looks like it is going to be at least a double. You are responsible for your grandfather today."

"I bet you told him that he was in charge of me."

"Yea, but you're not supposed to know that, so go with the playing dumb act. You have class today, so if your granddad doesn't just want to hang out at the hotel, offer him your keys to the car and my place."

"Hey, I thought that we were supposed to bring you breakfast."

"You don't have to do that, but I will be in the lab for a while if you want to stop by."

"Then I'll see you in a while."

"You got it, kiddo. You ready for that quiz today?"

"Yea, Greg ran through the information with me the other day and I've got it down cold. Slam dunk."

"Glad to hear it. Talk to you later."

As soon as he hung up the phone with his uncle, he dialed the phone number he had for his grandfather. "Hey, Granddad, I didn't wake you did I?"

"No, you didn't. Is Nick home yet?"

"No, sir, he just called to say that it would be another little while before he could leave. So are you up for bringing him some food?"

"Sure. Come pick me up, and then we'll stop wherever you want before going to the lab."

As the three Stokes men were eating in the break room, Nick asked his father how long he would be in Las Vegas.

"I ask because I will try to make sure I get a night off before you go so we can all spend some time together. Swing shift is kind of short staffed at the moment and so we never know when we will be guaranteed a night off."

"Can you get off for tomorrow?"

"Yea, probably, the case isn't as big of a nightmare as everyone thought it would be. But Kyle has a test tomorrow that he shouldn't miss."

"I know, but Kyle and I have spent time together, and when he's home we get to see each other quite a bit." He looked at his son's confused facial expression. "I'd like to take my youngest child to dinner and spend some time with you and me. Would that be alright?"

"Sure, Dad, that sounds great. Let me just check with Catherine before you leave and I'll let you know."

"Good. You don't mind, do you Kyle?"

He answered quickly enough, "Of course not Granddad. You two have a great time, while I stress out on my test." They all laughed at that, and Nick messed up his hair as he exited the room, but Kyle watched his grandfather. According to his mother, Granddad Stokes didn't really spend too much one on one time with Uncle Nick for whatever reason. The time they spent together was usually with other people present. The same was true of his grandfather's relationship with his Uncle Evan. He had heard his mother and aunts talk about it many times and they seemed to think that it was just a male thing. Uncle Nick had looked a little shell shocked when it was offered, but hid it pretty quickly. He was pretty sure that Granddad had picked up on it anyway. Well he just may have something really interesting to tell his mother when next they spoke.

"So are you a little nervous about going out with Granddad?"

"Kyle, he is my father. Why should I be nervous?"

"Well, according to all of your sisters…"

"Okay, stop right there. I will plead the fifth and then change the subject. Are you ready for your English test?"

"I will allow you to change the subject. See how much I care about you? I am a little more nervous about this test than I was about the bio quiz, but you said I had the info down pretty well when you quizzed me earlier, so it's just nothing serious."

"Glad to hear that. I am really proud of you, you know that right? I mean you jumped right into these college courses and have done really well. You have a higher GPA than most kids in your class."

"Yea, and mom has talked about this to all of your sisters and so I think that they are each planning to send my cousins to you for a while at some point in high school. Just a warning."

"So noted." And he made the motions of writing notes in the air and saying out loud, "move again before Heather gets to sophomore year."

"Or maybe you can just be the motivational speaker to the family about education."

"Yea, pull that old Chris Farley character bit."

"I don't really see you carrying that off."

"All right, Mr. Comedian, let's get going shall we? I'll drop you off at campus before I pick up my dad. You spend way too much time with your mother. Try to hang out with Keith when you get home."

"You only say that because of this thing with Granddad."

"Get in the truck!" Kyle complied with his uncle's retort, but he couldn't keep from laughing.

"So Dad, how do you like this place?"

"It's good. It's been a while since I have been to a Japanese steakhouse."

"I'm glad that you like it."

"So, Nick…."

Nick looked up from his meal and waited a long moment for his father to continue.

"Ever notice that following through with plans made in your head don't always go as planned?"

Nick had to smile at that. "Yea, all the time. What's your plan that isn't going so smoothly?"

Bill looked into his son's eyes, and did not miss the nervous humor he saw there. "You're not going to make this easy, are you?"

"I would if I could, but I don't really know what your plan is. I'm pretty sure that I know what mom and Ashley's plan is, or at least have the gist of it." He looked his father in the eye and grinned. "Does that help as an opening?"

Bill had to laugh, he really didn't give his youngest enough credit at times. "Yes, it does. So let me ask if your mom called to let you know I was coming."

"Both Mom and Ash did actually. They each left a message on the machine for me two days before you arrived."

"I won't ask what they said about it, I can imagine. So let me just apologize to you for my initial intention, which was indeed to check up on how well things were going."

"You don't need to do that."

"Thank you, but I feel that I do owe it to you. Your mom and your sister would probably disagree with you anyway. If they were concerned enough to not only warn you about my visit, but to pull Kyle into this plan of theirs, they must have thought that I would be looking for problems. And I guess that could be partly true. But in my own defense, sometimes it's hard to see your youngest child as a mature adult, to let go. I've been really thinking about it since I arrived here in Las Vegas, and it's amazing to realize that my youngest son is probably the one who is the most independent of all my kids. I hate to admit that I did come down to check on Kyle and make sure he wasn't just telling stories. My friends tell some horror stories about how wild teenagers are these days, and they are talking about their families, not just the kids they see in court. And thinking that Kyle was coming to a wild city like Vegas to stay with his bachelor uncle who works odd hours, I was a little worried. But I think that your sister and your Mom will both be pleasantly surprised when Kyle gets home."

"I don't know about Ashley being surprised, because she may as well be here for how often she calls, but mom might be."

"I have to say that I am impressed. You not only found a way to get him on your schedule, and still keep him active, but to get him excited about school."

"Realize that some of that enthusiasm that he showed is part of the plan to convince you that I'm taking good care of him."

"Not all of it. I enjoyed watching him at the lab, and while he was talking to his professor about his final project for his biology class. What I saw was not an act, because when he was talking to his teacher, Dr. Bussard's reaction to Kyle showed that he was used to Kyle's level of enthusiasm. I have been learning a lot about you while I've been here, and I am proud of you.

"Dad, don't take this the wrong way, but what changed your mind about my choice of careers? I've talked to you about it before, and I just always felt that you were disappointed in my choice. You seemed happier when I moved from the DPD to the crime lab, but…"

"I know, but I've had a little insight given to me this week about your career. And when I really think about it, this career seems to put more of your interests and talents together. The other day Kyle introduced me to a Judge Martin, who could not stop praising your skill as an investigator. And from what I saw and heard in the lab, I am very impressed with the job you do. I just may call on you from time to time about forensics presented in my court."

"Sure, Karen does that every once in a while when the evidence presented against her client is particularly heavy on the forensics." Nick couldn't believe that this was coming from his father. This was the man that was so disappointed in his choice of careers; who told him that he was not living up to his potential in such a career.

"And, I probably shouldn't tell you this, but Catherine also spoke to me about you to make sure that I knew how needed you are here."

"I figured she might have had that in mind when she sent me from the room. She can be almost as protective as Natalie."

"I didn't realize that you felt that you needed another sister."

"Oh, I don't really, but there must be something about me that asks to be mothered. I think it's the accent. Somehow people tend to hear a southern accent and think bumpkin."

"Yea, and a lot of the time they learn different the hard way."

"That can be the fun part, especially as an investigator, because they just think that they can pull anything over on you. And then they get that deer in the headlights look when you catch them."

"Well, let me say that if you ever want to move on from Las Vegas, let me know, and I can put you in touch with a couple of people."

"Thanks, Dad. I am happy where I am at the moment, but I really appreciate that." He had to pause for a moment before he asked his next question. "Dad, I did talk to Kyle earlier this afternoon, and I was hoping that you could do me a big favor."

"I'll do what I can."

"Stop my sisters from making plans to send each of their teenagers to me for the next few summers. I couldn't handle being a summer dad every summer."

Bill had to laugh at that, because knowing his daughters, Ashley had indeed gushed about what a good job Nick was doing with Kyle, and the rest would be making plans. "As I said, I'll do what I can. You know that you have some admirers at the lab as well."

"What do you mean?"

"Well let's just say that I think that a couple of young ladies were trying to hatch a plan with Kyle, to catch your attention."

"Oh, great." This was not something he wanted to talk about with his father. He got enough teasing about not being married yet from his mother and sisters. But he noticed that his father just grinned and let that subject drop.

The remaining dinner conversation was a lot more memory and family oriented. And it was helping Bill get to know the man that his youngest son has grown up to be.

Back at Nick's apartment, he and Kyle were sitting on the couch, each with a cold soda in their hand. Since the time that Nick had retrieved his nephew from the college, they had both been quiet and introspective. Maybe in Kyle's case it was a little more of exam shock. Nick was the first to break the silence. "So how did the exam go?"

"I honestly don't know. Taking tests in college is different from high school. I thought that I knew the information cold before the test, so I am hoping that my doubts are just for being a first time college student. But I think I will come out of this class with at least a B."

"That's good, Kyle. Congratulations."

"How did dinner go with Granddad?"

"It went really well actually. I can honestly say that to my knowledge, I have never had such a good candid conversation with my father before. If you and your mom had anything to do with this, I would say thank you, but since I know that you would never go behind my back in personal matters like my sisters have been known to do, I will just say that a miracle happened." Both had to grin at that. "I'm actually considering calling Evan and warning him that Dad might contact him to reach out to him. I had some forewarning and it still floored me, coming out of left field like it would be for Evan may not be such a good thing for his health."

"Ha ha. That may be a good thing."

"All kidding aside, Kyle, I do thank you for your part in this. However, please don't interfere in my life like this again. It worked out for both of us this time, but it could really blow apart next time."

"Do you think that Granddad caught on?"

"Ah, yea, he did. That was one of the topics of conversation at dinner. But don't let this success go to your head, little man. Evidently you unknowingly had a few people step in to help, like Judge Martin and Catherine. Besides, most people saw right through you."

"Yea, maybe, but it still worked. I promise to try to refrain from joining in on mom's plans in the future when it concerns you, or at least give you a little forewarning. It's the least I can do for everything that you have done for me this summer. I can't believe that I am done with classes next week."

"Oh, that reminds me. We will be having a little pitch in here at the house to celebrate you being done with exams. The whole gang is invited, including Lindsay. Which reminds me, you need to be careful around her, because I believe she has a crush on you. I would recommend that since she calls me Uncle Nick, that you treat her like a cousin. That would probably be a soft way of letting her down, besides the distance thing. Also, your mom, along with Keith and the kids, is coming out to arrive the night before the get together, and they will fly home with you."

"Wow, thanks again, Uncle Nick. It will be nice to see everyone away from the lab before I go home. I am sure that mom would also like to meet at least some of the people that I have been talking about for weeks."

"Just do me a favor and don't say anything that would get any of my sisters' matchmaking schemes into full swing, okay?

"Sure thing, Uncle Nick." Of course, Kyle was already aware that it may be too late for those precautions. But his mom would only be here a short time, how much interference could she really do here?

**Epiloge - One week later **

"Hi Nick. I see that we are one of the first ones here."

"Hey Catherine. Hi Lindsay. Actually there was a bit of carpooling today for whatever reason. We are just waiting for Grissom, Brass and Mia. I'm glad to see that you wore sneakers, Linds, there is a soccer game going on out back right now, and Warrick, Greg and Sara could really use your help."

"Who are they playing against?"

"Kyle, his step dad Keith, Sandi and Matt. The kids are 8 and 10 so the CSI's underestimated them. Those kids are used to playing with their older cousins and showing and receiving no mercy. Oh, and Linds, as we always agreed, you are like family to me, little miss, so feel free to call my sister Aunt Ashley, and her husband Uncle Keith. Don't give me that look; I am positive it's fine. Ashley has heard me talk about you so much, she pretty much thinks of you like a niece anyway. You just watch her smile when you call her Aunt for the first time. And between you and me, Keith is new to our family so he won't know the difference." This brought a smile to Lindsay's face, as she walked around to the back yard to join in the game. Catherine and Nick could hear Greg and Warrick call out to Lindsay to hurry on to the field.

"Thanks for that Nicky."

"What? It was the truth."

"I should warn you that I think my daughter has a bit of a crush on Kyle."

"Yea, I could see that. I talked to Kyle about it, and I hope that you don't mind, but I suggested to Kyle that he go with the treat her like your cousin approach. I figured that if he just treated her like any of his other cousins, which should help her adjust her crush without having to address it with Kyle and get embarrassed."

"Smart move."

"Thanks. I just hope he eases her into it, otherwise he will tease her unmercifully like he does all the others younger than himself. If he doesn't, then I'll miss that boy after Lindsay takes him out."

"I'm sure things will be fine. How are things with you? We haven't really gotten a chance to talk since your Dad left."

"No, I guess we haven't. I'll give you the readers digest version. Dad got home and told mom and Ashley to quit worrying about Kyle, everything is just fine. Evidently the 'plan' worked, so I'm happy about that and I can quit playing dumb about it because everyone is talking about it openly. I decided to leave Evan to his own devises, and Dad told me that he took Evan out for a father/son dinner and shocked him. Evan even called me to check his DNA to make sure the right man made it back to Dallas. Basically, everything turned out fine."

"You're going to miss that kid, aren't you?"

"Yea, I am. Now before we get into anything serious, I say we leave a note for the tardy guests on the front door, and go join the festivities out back. What do you say, Ms. Willows?"

"Which family team are you going to join, Mr. Stokes?"

"I was thinking that I'd join the CSI team, they need more help, and that way I can abuse my place as an uncle and send my niece and nephews off into aggravated frustration, as usual. Sandi was a nervous little one at first, and didn't really join in the family fun for a while. She used to giggle up a storm watching us play and me pick up the little kids to get them out of my way. This will be my first chance to really subject her to it, so it should be fun."

"You are such a kid, Nicky."

"You know my motto – 'Growing older is mandatory, but growing up is optional.'"

With that Nick posted the note he had hand written on his door directing Grissom and the rest of the gang to come to the back of the house, and then left Catherine in her own fit of giggles as she watched him run onto the field declaring sides as he entered the field of play and picked up a giggling 8 year old girl as he went. As the young girl glowed in her good humor, they were tackled first by her brother Matt, who could not take down his uncle until Kyle joined him, yelling for Lindsay to help them. It warmed her heart to watch her daughter join in the fun with the other young people.

Then Keith yelled out to the kids that their little pig pile has left him to defend against 3 opponents. He was answered only by laughter. He looked over to see all four kids getting the upper hand against Nick. As he was trying to decide if he should go help his brother-in-law out of this predicament, his wife, who seemed to have read his mind, yelled out to him. "Don't worry so much about Nick. He's dealt with higher numbers of kids than this. Just pay attention to how he gets out of it so when they gang up on you, you know what to do." She laughed when his response was a look of mock horror to what he should expect from his new nieces and nephews.

Ashley approached Catherine on the sidelines. "Hi, you must be Catherine. Thanks for taking such good care of my brother for us. We miss him in Dallas, but it's good to see first hand that he has family here too."

"Yea, well he is an important part of this family too. We are very lucky to have him. Thank you for letting us have him."

"It has nothing to do with letting him do anything. That little brother of mine is very independent. I am really appreciative of what he did for Kyle, and I just hope we can get his whole family, mine and yours, together soon. Maybe I can try to get them all to come up here for a weekend."

"I think that Nick would really like that."

"Yea, he would, but would Las Vegas survive? I'm sure that he's told you about all his nieces, nephews and siblings, but has he told you about our cousins?"

"No, he hasn't."

"Well, I won't bore you with all the details, but let's just say that neither mom nor Dad is an only child. Mom is one of three, and Dad is one of 9. And other than our uncle Max, who became a priest, each of those siblings had at least 3 children."

"Oh my. Do most of them live somewhere around Dallas?"

"You guessed it in one. I see you now have a little more insight into why it wasn't so hard for my very independent baby brother move to Las Vegas."

"Just a little."

"But you know that you and your daughter would be welcome any time, right?"

That got a reaction of genuine surprise out of Catherine. "Ah…thank you, but what do you mean?"

"Catherine, if you don't know yet, then I will just say this once and let the chips fall where they may. I may have this wrong, but to me it seems that you, Lindsay and my brother would make a very happy little family. I've seen how you look at him, and so has Kyle. Nick, of course, says nothing on the subject. He's gotten pretty good at hiding that stuff from family – too many sisters and cousins trying to help him with his social life in the past. But if you want to see what could happen, I think that you'd be pleasantly surprised." She smiled as she left Catherine in quiet shock. But her job here was done, and the seed was planted. Now she just had to see if it would take root. After all, Nick had done so much for her, it was the least she could do to help get his life back on track. She looked over to see the gang walking off the field. Her son's arm was around his uncle's shoulders with Sandi and Matt happily trailing behind them. Her family will be fine, thanks to Nick, and hopefully she helped a little to see that Nick's 'family' would be fine too.

- fin -


End file.
